Method of packaging coffee and a packaging machine for packaging coffee

ABSTRACT

This invention provides a novel method of packaging coffee and a machine therefor. Such a method comprises conveying an outer wrapper in a machine direction, applying a tear tape to the outer wrapper at an angle to the machine direction, wrapping the outer wrapper around an inner bag, and filling the inner bag with coffee before or after wrapping with the outer wrapper.

FIELD

The invention relates to a method of packaging coffee and a packaging machine for packaging coffee.

BACKGROUND

In the field of packaging food products, in particular coffee, several aspects, which involve specific requirements, have to be taken into account. Firstly, the coffee is to be packaged in a hermetic manner so as to keep its freshness and taste. Secondly, the packaging operation should be performed as economically as possible. Thirdly, it is desirable that the consumer will be able to open the package easily. Finally, both the closed and the opened package should exhibit an attractive outer appearance.

EP 0 298 302 B1 discloses a vacuum pack for ground coffee, which consists of a tube of multilayer composite sheet which is provided with a tear-open strip. The vacuum pack can be wrapped in an outer wrapper, which can be made of paper. Such types of coffee packages are also available on the market, for example, for the Applicant's Jacobs Krönung-brand. DE 38 33 939 A1 and DE 38 28 847 A1 disclose similar vacuum packs.

EP 0 121 371 B2 relates to a method of producing filmic packaging material, to which a tear tape is adhered in a machine direction, i.e., in a direction, in which the packaging material is conveyed in the packaging machine.

SUMMARY

This invention provides a novel method of packaging coffee and a machine therefor. Such a method comprises conveying an outer wrapper in a machine direction, applying a tear tape to the outer wrapper at an angle to the machine direction, wrapping the outer wrapper around an inner bag, and filling the inner bag with coffee before or after wrapping with the outer wrapper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram depicting a method of packaging coffee;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a partially opened coffee package;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a device for applying tear tape to an outer wrapper of a coffee package;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 3 for applying tear tape to an outer wrapper of a coffee package; and

FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the device of FIG. 3 for applying tear tape to an outer wrapper of a coffee package.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention provides a method 100 of packaging coffee, as illustrated in FIG. 1, which can efficiently produce a coffee package 101, illustrated in FIG. 2, which is both easy to open and has an attractive appearance after opening. Moreover, a packaging machine for carrying out such a method 100 is provided, as illustrated in FIGS. 3-5.

Accordingly, the novel method 100 of packaging coffee includes the step of filling 103 the coffee into an inner bag 104. Filling 103 the coffee into the inner bag 104 can be preformed before or after an outer wrapper 105, which is described in more detail below, is wrapped 106 around the inner bag 104. Generally, the method 100 and the machine described herein are also suitable for packaging other food products, preferably hermetic inner bag 104, in which the food product is contained, and which is wrapped 106 in an outer wrapper 105. As an example, it can be mentioned that the method 100 and device described herein are also suitable for packaging rice. Thus, the invention generally relates to such packages 101, independent of their contents.

The inner bag 104 can consist of an airtight and/or hermetic material in order to constitute a vacuum pack in the final state. The inner bag 104 can be formed 107 by wrapping a suitable material around a mandrel and forming a first end seal as well as a side seal. Thus, one end remains open, and coffee is filled 103 into the bag 104 at this end either before or after the outer wrapper 105 is wrapped 106 around the inner bag 104. Afterwards, an evacuating step can be carried out, and the second end can be sealed thereafter.

In the novel method 100 of packaging coffee, an outer wrapper 105 is wrapped 106 around the inner bag 104. The outer wrapper 105 can be made of paper, plastic film or laminate, for example, consisting of paper and a plastic film or a suitably coated paper, and, with reference to FIG. 4, is conveyed 108 in a machine direction 111. In particular, the outer wrapper 105, rather a continuous web of plural outer wrappers 105 is conveyed 108 in the form of a web, and individual outer wrappers 105 are cut at an appropriate state. In particular, the outer wrapper 105 can be partially wrapped 106 around the inner bag 104, before the individual outer wrapper 105 is cut from the web. However, individual outer wrappers 105 can also be cut, before they are fed in to the packaging machine and conveyed 108 into the machine direction 111. Finally, cutting of individual outer wrappers 105 can also be performed at any other appropriate time, for example, just before the wrapper 105 is wrapped 106 around the inner bag 104. A currently preferred process can be described as follows. The inner bag 104 is cut from a web, wrapped around a mandrel and a first end seal and a side seal are formed 107. The individual outer wrapper 105 is also cut from a web, and wrapped 106 around the inner bag 104. In this state, the inner bag 104 can still be on the mandrel. Afterwards coffee is filled 103 into the inner bag 104, an evacuating step can be conducted, and both the inner bag 104 and the outer wrapper 105 are closed. As mentioned, the outer wrapper 105 can also be wrapped 106 around the inner bag 104, when the latter is already filled with coffee, and an optional evacuating step has been conducted.

In any case, individual outer wrappers 105 are wrapped 106 around the inner bag 104, in order to form a coffee package 101 with an attractive appearance. In particular, a material of the inner bag 104 can be specifically chosen so as to fulfill the requirements regarding airtightness, sealability and so on. Independent therefrom, the material of the outer wrapper 105 can be chosen to provide the desired attractive appearance.

In order to allow for easy opening of the package 101, tear tapes 109 are applied 110 to the outer wrapper 105. This application 110 can be performed, while plural outer wrappers 105 are still present as a web. As an alternative, the individual tear tape 109 can also be applied 110 to a individual outer wrapper 105, after the latter has been cut from a web. Normally, one tear tape 109 is applied 110 to each individual outer wrapper 105. Referring to FIG. 5, this application 110 is, in a novel manner, performed at an angle θ to the machine direction 111. In particular, the tear tapes 109 can be applied 110 substantially perpendicular to the machine direction 111, in other words in a cross-machine direction. This allows for an efficient method 100 for packaging coffee, and, at the same time, provides an easy-to-open package 101.

This is because, the inner bag 104 can be formed 107, filled 103 and sealed in one and the same packaging machine and “in line” with the wrapping 106 of the outer wrappers 105. Due to the application 110 of the tear tapes 109 at an angle θ to the machine direction 111, the tear tapes 109 will extend across the final package 101, preferably horizontally in an upright package 101 with the end seals of the inner bag 104 being located at the bottom 113 and top 114 of the package 101. Referring now to FIG. 2, the top part 115 of the outer wrapper 105 can, for example, be removed after the tear tape 109 has been gripped and torn around the package 101. This allows, firstly, easy opening of both the outer wrapper 105 and the inner bag 104, as the area, where the inner bag 104 is to opened, is exposed by removal of a part 115 of the outer wrapper 105. Moreover, also in the opened state, the package 101 exhibits an attractive appearance, as a major part 116 of the outer wrapper 105 can stay intact and has a relatively straight edge 117, where the tear tape 109 has been torn, and only a part 115 of the outer wrapper 105 has been removed. In particular, when a major part 116 of the outer wrapper 105 remains on the inner bag 104, the surface 118 thereof is still visible on the opened package 101, and the “branding”, any product information and the like is still legible on the opened package 101. This is also beneficial for the consumer, as he can easily realize what the opened package 101 contains. Preferred embodiments of the method described herein are specified in dependent claims

As mentioned above, specific advantages can be obtained for the coffee package 101, when the tear tapes 109 are applied 110 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the machine direction 111. This particularly implies that the tear tape 109 is oriented substantially horizontally in an upright package 101 so that the above-mentioned advantageous effects can be realized. The package 101 is to be considered in an upright position, when any printing thereon is legible, and the end seals of the inner bag 104 are normally located at the bottom 113 and top 114 of the package 101, in this upright state.

Generally, the invention is independent of certain details regarding the application 110 of the tear tapes 109. However, referring to FIG. 4, the tear tapes 109 can be advantageously be applied 110 to a rear side 119 of an outer wrapper 105, which is printed on a front side 118. In other words, the outer face 118 of the outer wrapper 105 is printed, in order to provide both an attractive appearance and product information. The tear tape 109 of the package 101 is “hidden” by being applied 110 to the (inner) rear side 119 of the outer wrapper 105. The front side 118 can contain an indication that a tear tape 109 is present, in order to assist the consumer in finding and using the tear tape 109, when the package 101 is to be opened. It can, however, also be mentioned that the tear tape 109 can also be applied 110 on an outer face or a front side 118 of the outer wrapper 105. In such a case, the tear tape 109 can be particularly wide and can be printed in order to make the consumer especially aware of the presence of the tear tape 109 and/or provide additional product information in a particularly exposed manner.

It has been found particularly advantageous for the method 100 of packaging coffee, when the tear tapes 109 are applied 110 in a self-adhesive state. In this embodiment, the application 110 of the tear tapes 109 can be conducted particularly efficiently.

Moreover, the tear tapes 109 can also be applied 110 in a sealable state. Thus, they can be heat or cold sealed to the outer wrapper 105. Finally, they can be suitably glued to the outer wrapper 105.

Moreover, tests have shown that it provides advantages if the tear tapes 109 are, before they are applied 110 to the outer wrapper 105, cut to a predetermined width. In other words, the tear tapes 109 are supplied to the outer wrapper 105 with the required width so that they do not need to be cut to the predetermined width immediately before their application 110 to the outer wrapper 105. Moreover, the tear tapes 109 will normally be cut to the appropriate length, preferably extending across the complete outer wrapper 105. This cutting to length can be performed before, during or after the tear tape 109 is applied 110 to the outer wrapper 105.

In order to merely need one cutter 120 in connection with the tear tapes 109, these can be supplied as rolls 121 having a continuous strip of tear tapes 109 with the desired width wound thereon.

In the novel method 100 of packaging coffee, the tear tapes 109 are preferably applied 110 intermittently, which is advantageously compatible with the intermittent filling 103 and packaging of coffee packages 101. Experiments have shown that the inventive method 100 currently allows up to 130 or even more coffee packages 101 to be produced per minute which corresponds to an efficient method 100 of producing easy-to-open packages 101.

The above-mentioned object underlying the invention is, moveover, solved by the packaging machine described in claim 8.

Corresponding to the method 100 described above, the packaging machine includes a device for forming 107 an inner bag 104, a device for filling 103 coffee into the inner bag 104, preferably a device for sealing the inner bag 104, a conveyer 122 for conveying 108 an outer wrapper 105 in a machine direction 111, a device 123 for applying 110 tear tapes 109 to the outer wrapper 105 at an angle θ to a machine direction 111, and a device for wrapping 106 the outer wrapper 105 around the inner bag 104. This list of components of the packaging machine described herein does not imply any particular order of method steps. Rather, numerous alternatives, as detailed above in connection with the inventive method 100, are possible.

Preferred embodiments of the packaging machine described herein substantially correspond to preferred embodiments of the inventive method 100.

In addition, the packaging machine can include a cutter for cutting the tear tapes 109 to a predetermined width.

Moreover, with reference to FIG. 3, the device 123 for applying 110 the tear tapes 109 can include a device for accommodating at least one roll 121 of tear tapes 109. This allows the tear tapes 109 to be supplied as a continuous strip of material, from which individual tear tapes 109 are cut and applied 110 to the outer wrapper 105.

In order to be compatible with well-established machines for forming 107 the inner bag 104 of the coffee package 101, the device for forming 107 the inner bag 104 can include a mandrel, around which the material, which is to form the inner bag 104, is wrapped and sealed at one end and the side. 

1. A method of packaging coffee, wherein the coffee is filled into an inner bag, and an outer wrappers is conveyed in a machine direction and wrapped around the inner bag before or after filling the coffee into the inner bag, and wherein tear tapes are applied to the outer wrapper at an angel to the machine direction.
 2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tear tapes are applied in a direction substantially perpendicular to the machine direction.
 3. The method in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer wrapper has a front side, which can be printed, and the tear tapes are applied to a rear side of the outer wrapper.
 4. The method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the tear tapes are applied in a self-adhesive state.
 5. The method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the tear tapes are, before being applied to the outer wrappers, cut to a predetermined width.
 6. The method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the tear tapes are supplied as rolls having a predetermined width.
 7. The method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the tear tapes are applied intermittently.
 8. A packaging machine for packaging coffee, including a device for forming an inner bag, a device for filling coffee into the inner bag, a conveyer for conveying an outer wrapper in a machine direction, a device for applying tear tapes to outer wrapper at an angle to the machine direction, and a device for wrapping the outer wrapper around the inner bag.
 9. The package machine in accordance with claim 8, wherein the device for applying the tear tapes is adapted to apply the tear tapes in a direction substantially perpendicular to the machine direction.
 10. The packaging machine in accordance with claim 8 or 9, further including a cutter for cutting the tear tapes to a predetermined width.
 11. The packaging machine in accordance with any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the device for applying the tear tapes includes a device for accommodating at least one roll of tear tapes.
 12. The packaging machine in accordance with any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the device for forming the inner bag includes a mandrel. 